Conventional self-propelled cotton harvesters utilize individual harvesting units mounted at a front end of the cotton harvester. Each harvesting unit defines a plant passage and typically includes two cotton picker rotors comprised of numerous circularly driven picker bars. Each picker bar mounts a plurality of rotatably driven, radially extending picker spindles for removing the cotton from the plant.
A pair of doffer assemblies along with a picker spindle moistening assembly are typically provided in combination with the harvesting unit. Each doffer assembly, having numerous rotatably driven doffer pads, is provided to remove the cotton from the individual picker spindles. The picker spindle moistening assembly includes a series of vertically arranged moistening pads for adding moistening fluid to each of the cotton picker spindles before they are introduced to cotton plants.
Although considerable design effort has resulted in cotton harvesting units of reduced size and weight, the intended usage and required operation of such units dictates a relatively large sized mechanism having considerable weight. Because of their relatively large structure, arranging the individual harvesting units on a cotton harvester for picking narrow rows of cotton has been a continuing source of difficulty.
Cotton harvester machines having up to four individual harvesting units arranged in side-by-side relationship relative to each other have been designed to increase cotton picker production. To allow for picking of adjacent, narrowly spaced rows of cotton it is known to arrange one harvesting unit closely adjacent another harvesting unit such that the spacing between adjacent plant passages substantially corresponds to the narrow spacing between cotton rows.
Complete servicing of the harvesting units which are so arranged is difficult and time consuming because of the limited accessibility between harvesting units. To remove an inboard harvesting unit for servicing usually requires removal of the adjacent outboard harvesting unit. Simultaneous removal of both harvesting units causes problems due to the bulkness and weight of the separate harvesting units. Moreover, removal of the outboard harvesting unit before the removal of the inboard harvesting unit takes additional time, a premium during the harvest season.